In the other Semi-Final game it is a rematch of the week 11 contest between the #1 seeded Oklahoma Outlaws and the #4 seeded Seattle Seahawks. Back in that week 11 game the Outlaws easily handled the Seahawks winning by a score of 2701. Let's take a quick look inside that game. For Oklahoma, Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was effective in the victory. His peripheral statistics for the game didn't stand out but his bottom line of two touchdowns and no interceptions speak well for his game generalship. What makes the performance even more impressive was that the Outlaws' running game was shackled by the Seahawks, managing just 65 yards on the ground. For Seattle, Quarterback Peyton Manning had a miserable day. Manning's one touchdown was more than offset by throwing for three interceptions. In addition, the Seahawks lost a fumble so the true story of the loss was Seattle's -4 in turnovers in the game.

The two teams advanced to this game with convincing quarter final victories. Oklahoma shut out Tampa Bay 17 -0 and Seattle got by San Diego 27-17. In the Outlaws' win over Tampa Bay, the Bucs offense was throttled by the Oklahoma defense. On the ground Tampa Bay only managed 69 yards of offense. Turning to the passing attack Matt Schaub and the Buccaneers were harassed throughout the game by a staunch Oklahoma defense. Schaub managed just 165 yards as he was sacked five times and picked off twice. The Oklahoma offense didn't get rolling until the second half but when they did they were again led by Roethlisberger. Ben threw for 242 yards, two touchdowns and his customary zero turnovers.

Seattle also won their game by pulling away in the second half. The Seahawks' contest with San Diego featured a wild second quarter where the two teams combined for 31 points to go into halftime tied 17-17. Seattle's defense closed the door from that point, blanking the Chargers in the second half. Seattle Quarterback Peyton Manning was effective in leading the offense. Manning completed 69% of his throws, totaling over 300 yards and one touchdown. The Seahawks ground attack couldn't do much against the Chargers so the game really was in the hands of Manning and the defense. Peyton's brother Eli Manning struggled with the pass versus the Seahawks never able to connect for a scoring toss. Chargers running back Arian Foster had some success but when the game was on the line the Seattle defense came up big.

Oklahoma's season story was they lost the first two games on their schedule. Since that stumbling start they haven't lost a game since week two. The Outlaws averaged over 28 points per game while allowing less than 14. Their points scored/points allowed differential of +13.81 was second best in the league behind San Francisco. The Oklahoma offense is led by Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had the highest QB Rating in the Frozen Tundra at 97% with 33 touchdowns and only 9 picks. The offense totaled the second most points in the F.T. Veteran running back Frank Gore led the rushing attack with over 1100 yards but the offense truly ran through Roethlisberger. Wide Receiver Nate Washington was the prime target in the passing game. Washington averaged over 18 yards per catch and had 17 touchdown receptions. The Oklahoma defense was just as daunting, finishing second in the league in fewest points allowed. The team was also second in the league in sacks with 48 and second in the league in interceptions with 25. As you would expect Oklahoma had a whopping advantage in takeaway/giveaways with a +18. Defensive stalwarts for the Outlaws were lineman Trent Cole who had 13 sacks and in the secondary Dashon Goldson led the team with 6 interceptions.

Seattle is also on somewhat of a long roll, having lost just one game since week 4 on the schedule. Veteran signal caller Peyton Manning does the heavy lifting but the piecemeal Seattle running attack accounted for over 2000 yards of rushing offense. Seattle had the #8 ranked scoring offense to go along with their #4 ranked scoring defense. The one area where Seattle shone brightest was in creating sacks. The Seahawks were number one in that category, they totaled 54 sacks on the season. Linebacker Clay Matthews was the league sack king with 16 and was aided by lineman Tamba Hali and his 13 sacks. Antonio Garay's 8 was third on this team but would have placed him on top of many team's leader board. Back on the offensive side of the ball,k Manning has three big targets in Vernon Davis, Marques Colston and Hakeem Nicks. Brad Smith and Brandon Jacobs head the effective running attack and Smith doubles as the Kickoff Return man (2 T.D. returns). On to the keys to the game:

1. For Oklahoma, go back to week 11. Put pressure on Manning and control the ball on offense. An almost seven minute advantage in time of possession and a +4 in turnovers should equal a win.
2. For Seattle, forget about week 11. If the Seahawks can execute better they should be right in the contest. Turnovers are killers and Seattle has tempted fate many times this year as they are -9 for the season.
3. Pressure, they say it can either crush a rock or make a diamond. Manning wasn't sacked too often but Oklahoma got to him twice in week 11. Roethlisberger was sacked one more time than Manning on the year but he's a dangerous man outside the pocket. Big Ben had over 150 yards running the ball with six rushing touchdowns. Both teams like to bring heat but which side will be more effective in harassing the passer?
4. In a game of two great passers don't ignore the run. Frank Gore has been a Pro-Bowl rusher and he still can do the job when the passing game struggles. However, it's Seattle's running game that can sneak up on you. They ran for more than 2100 yards and teams have had some success moving on the ground against Oklahoma.

Teams offensive leaders:

PASSING	ATT.	COMP.	T.D.	INT.	RTG.
Ben Roethlisberger - OKL.	473	269	33	9	97.0
Peyton Manning - SEA.	552	316	29	18	84.1
RUSHING	ATT.	YDS.	AVG.	LONG	T.D.
Frank Gore - OKL.	229	1156	5.0	25	4
Brad Smith - SEA.	161	920	5.7	30	4
RECEIVING	REC.	YDS.	AVG.	LONG	T.D.
Nate Washington - OKL.	59	1092	18.5	75	17
Vernon Davis - SEA.	81	1153	14.2	58	7